Battery.



E. SOKAL. BATIERY. APPLICATION FILED NOV.2l| 1914- 1,258,265 Patented Mar. 5, 19m

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- WITNESSES INVENTOR I Z $412M v EDWARD sonar, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BATTERY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD SoKAn, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to batteries and may.;;'be applied to primary, as well as to secondary or storage batteries.

An ob ect of the invention is to provide a battery" wherein the electrolyte is forcibly pair of electrodes whereb for spacing t the spacing means being adapted to permit conducted through the pores of the electrodes, whereby the polarization of the battery .is'delayed or entirely prevented, and whereby the saturation of the electrolyte in close proximity to the pores is increased.

Another object of the invention is to provide a batter wherein means are included he electrodes from each other,

the circulation of the electrolyte. throu h the electrodes and through the space of t e or tankin which the electrodes are Another object of the-invention is to provide a battery which composed of a, plurality of units, each unit comprisin one the as'semb y of the battery is greatly fac' itated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a battery wherein the diflicultyof packing or tightening the electrodes with respect to each other, by means of a cement, (putty or similar packing means to be applie rigidly to the electrodes during the assembling ofthebattery is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a batter comprising hollow spaces between the di' erent units and to connect certain of these aces, with a means for forcing the electro ate, either by pressure or by suction, throng the-plores of the electrodes.

Another object of t e. invention-is to provide a batte wherein a plurality of units forming a ce may be readily combined or disassembled and wherein these units are rigidly held together as long as the battery is m use.

With these and other objects in view, I have illustrated an embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawin which shows the application of the invention to a orage battery although it is readil understo that-the invention may as wel be ap- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5., 1 918.

Application filed November 21, 1914. Serial No. 8735293.

pliedto primary batteries having porous I electrodes of uniform or varying porosity.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view partly in section of a receptacle or jar showin a plurality of units of a storagelbattery wlthspacin means and with means for causing circu ation of the electrolyte througlh the 'ar, said circulating means being s own is.- grammatically only.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the battery on line 22- 2 of Fig. 1 and shows portions of the battery only wherein for the ill) sake of clearnessadjacent elements are.

shown separated from each other and not in as close juxtaposition as they are located in the assembled batter Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the spacing means between two units of electrodes.

Fig. 4: is a horizontal section'on line 4-4 of Fig. 3. a

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section similar to Fig. 4 through another spacing means between units.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a spacing means located between electrodes of the same unit.-

It has been found that the eflicien'cy of primary cells or of storage cells may be enanced by forcibly conducting the electrolyte, either in one direction throu; h the pores of the electrodes or by forcib conucting the electrolyte intermittently m different directions through said pores. In the batteries which were in use up to the present time in connection with the circulating means for the electrolyte, it was necessary either to provide electrodes in the form of hollow bodies or to rovide. acking means rigidlyconnected with and interposed between, adjacent electrodes. As a packing means for these purposes only certa n kinds of cement or compounds could be used and it was difiicult to connect these insulating compounds securely with the metal electrodes or -with other electrodes.

In applying a cement or putty to objects which have to be united it is necessary to press the two objects firmly against each other, so as to avoid any interspace between the same. In batteries, however, it is necessary to leave an interspace between juxta-- to provide a space for the electrolyteso that the liquid may act on, the surface of the electrodes. If therefore in the known batteries a pressure was exerted upon the electrolyte in this 'interspace, this pressure acted upon the said packing means in a manner which had a tendency to loosen the packing means or to detach the packing means from the electrodes.-

These conditions are very unfavorable to the application of any acking means in the form of cement and in t e present invention,

and will, t erefore, have a tendency to in;

crease the packing eflect.

The embodiment illustrated comprises a jar 1, which may be made of any suitable material, as glass, hard rubber, or the like,

. or which may be made of wood and may be .ing arrangement wit larity.

provided with a lining of lead or some similar substance, which is not attacked by the electrolyte within the jar. This electrolyte may consist of sulfuric acid or it may consist of some other fluid in accordance with the composition of the electrodes, the in vention being applicable to the ordinary lead storage battery, to primary batteries or to storage batteries wherein the electrodes are composed of iron, nickel,-cobalt or similar'metals and metal compounds. The jar is hermetically sealed b means of a cover 2 of lead or wood, an in the present instance means are shown for conveyin the electrolyte through ni ples 3 and 4 within the cover, one of sai nipples serving for introducing the electrolyte whilerthe other one serves for withdrawing' the same from the jar The battery comprises a plurality of positive plates 5. and'negative plates 6, which are serially dis osed, and in alternatrespect to their po- The electrodes are arranged in the form "of units. Each unit comprises a positive plate 5 and a negative plate 6 and spacing means 7 between the two plates. The spacingl means consist in the present instance of a ard rubber plate .8 which is perforated as indicated at 9 and which is in engagement with one of the electrodes of the unit,

, said plate 8 being constructed in the form of a shallow trough and containing a pothese unit spacing means'comprise prefers.

ably a hollow box. or casing 11 and 11 advisably made of hard rubber or some similar suitable insulating material, interposed between the electrodes of different polarities of adjacent units. The lateral walls of the unit spacing means are also provided.

with perforations 12, permitting thereby any fluid conveyed into the casing to 'e into contact with the faces of the adjacent [electrodes The spacing means 'between units alternate invconstruction in as far as a one of each pair of casings indicated at 11 is provided with a tubing 13 leadin into the hollow interior of the casing, whi e the other of the two casings, indicated at 11', is closed-on top and communicates only with the interior of the jar by means of perfowhich is led through one of the nipples in the cover of the jar, said cover being secured by means of screws or some other suitable fastening means to the jar. pump diagrammatically indicated at 16 is connected with both of these ni ples in'the cover of the jar and serves for orcibly conveying the electrolytic fluid through one-of said nipples into the interior of said casings 11 and the fluid is returned to the pump through the pipe 18 connected with the other nipple in the jar. It is obvious, however, that the direction'of the circulation of this fluid may also be reversed, whereby the fluid would be withdrawn from the in terior of the jar through the unit spacing means and would be returned to the jar by means of said pump and through the pipe 18. Any suitable fluid conveymgdevxce may be used for maintaining the electrolytic fluid iILfOiI'CHl tion in one direction or for intermittent] circulation.

In the embodiment illustrated the pump shown diagrammatically at 16 acts as a suction pump and serves for conveyin the electrolytic fluid from the interior 0 the eversing the direction of the spacing casings 11 into a reservoir or tank 30, shown partly in section and partly perspectively in Fig; 1. A check valve 31 disposed near one end of said reservoir serves for returning the fluid from said reservoir into the jar 1 when the suction of the pump ceases and when at the same time the amount i or pressure pumps and other constructions for the circulating means may be found within the scope of the-invention as characterized by the appended claims.

The spacing plates 8 between electrodes of the same unit preferably are.provided with transverse flanges 19 which overlie the edges plate 8, and through the pores of the adjacent electrode.

- The electric current generated or stored,

respectively, in the battery is conveyed through bus-bars 21 which unite the lugs 22 of electrodes of the same polarity and these bus-bars are extended by means of projections 23 through the cover of the jar, these projections advisabl being disposed within the nipples which a o serve for the passage of the electrolytic fluid.

The assembly of the entire battery is facilitated by uniting all of the electrodes and spacing means prior to the insertion of the same into the jar. For this purpose the electrodes "forming the terminal points of theelectric battery or pile, are covered on that side which is not in opposition to another electrode, with an insulatin coating 24 or an insulating plate or the like. An

other plate, preferably of metal, which is indifferent to the electrolytic fluid, as indicated at 25, is in contact with the cover plate 24, and the two plates 25 at the ends of the series of electrodes are firmly clamped to ether b means of clamping bolts26, provi ed wit nuts 27 which rest against the outer surface of said plates 25. f any of the electrodes should become defective, it

- is only necessary to loosen the nuts on the clamping bolts until the electrode or the defective spacin means me be removed and another one inserted in p ace thereof.

The 0 eration of an electric battery ofthis kin is about as follows:

After the electrodes have been placed 1n serial arrangement, alternating with the means again alternating so as to provi e alternately a hollow spacing means and a solid spacing means, and after the lugs of electrodes of like polarity have been united by bus-bars which are adapted to extend through the cover of the'jar, the electrodes are insertcd in the jar and the same is completcly filled with electrolytic fluid which also'cntcrs the interior of the hollow 3 ac ing means between the electrode units. he

jar is hermetically closed by the cover and the pump connected with the nipples or with the reservoir, respectively, so as to circulate the electrolytic'fluid through the jar.

If the pump is arranged and constructed to force the electrolytic fluid into the hdllow spacing means by exerting a pressure in said means, the. pressure exerted at any point of the fluid is transmitted in all directions of the same so that the electrolytic fluid from the interior of the spacing means 11 is forced through the perforations 12 of said spacing means, and in both of th latoral walls of the same, forcin the uid to pass in opposite directions t rough the pores of adjacent wood plates and through pores of opposite electrodes. After having passed through the pores of the electrodes the fluid is forced through the pores of the wooden plates 10 or' insulating plates of any suitable porous material, and'flowing throu h the perforations of the solid spacing p ates 9, the electrolytic fluid will pass through the pores of the adjacent electrode into the hollow spacing means 11- adjoining said electrode on the opposite side. These last named spacing means are in communication with the interior of the jar through the erforations 14, and the fluid from the jar 1s finally returned to the pump by the return flow pipe 18, to enter again in circulation in the same direction.

If the circulation is caused by pressing the fluid from the reservoir into the spacing means 11, the check valve on the reservoir may be rendered inoperative.

lthough the invention is described here in connection with .a lead storage battery, I desire it to be understood that I am aware of the fact that the 'eiiiciency of primary batteries, as well as all other storage batteries, may be enhanced by maintaining the electrolytic fluid in permanent or intermittent circulation through the pores of the electrodes. The electrolytic 'fluid may either be a liquid or a aseous fluid and the electrodesmay either ave the shape of plates or any other suitable shape.

I claim:

1. In an electric battery the combination of a plurality of porous electrodes, hollow spacing means between said electrodes and means for forcing the electrolytic fluid from the interior of said spacing means in a plurality of directions through the pores of said electrodes from one side to the other side of the same.

2. In an electric battery the combination of'a plurality of porous electrodes, hollow spacing means between said electrodes, means for forcing the electrolytic fluid from the interior of said spacing means through the pores of electrodes of opposite polarity andmeans for preventing the escape of the electrolyte from the interior in between said electrodes, said packing means any other way but through the pores of the electrodes.

-3. -In an' electric battery the combination of a battery receptacle, a plurality of electrodes, hollow spacing. means between said electrodes and means for forcing the electrolytic fluid from the interior of some of 'the spacing means into the pores of electrodes and from-the interior of other spec-- the combination es, packing means being in engagement with both electro des and comprising porous elements in engagement with an electrode and non-porous perforated elements'in engagement with said porous elements.

' '6; In an electric battery the combination of electrodes and separators, the separators including porous elements engaging the surface of the electrodes and non-porous elements in engagement with said porous elements, said non-porous elements having a flange engaging the marginal portions of said porous elements. I Y

7. In an electric battery the combination of a plurality of electrodes, means if? foreibly conveying the electrolyte throu b said electrodes, separators interposed etween' adjacent electrodes and means for p venti ing the lateral escape of the electrolyti fluid from-the interspace between adjacent \electrodes.

8. In an electric batte the combination of a jar, a plurality of e ectrodes arranged in units, spacing means interposed between each two units, means for forcing theelectrolyte through the interior of said spacing means into the pores of the electrodes, cer-' tain of saidspacing means being in communication with the electrolyte witbinthe jar and other ofsaid units being closed against communication with the electrolyte within said jar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses. EDWARD SOKAL.

Witnesses:

Bni'iTHoLn O. Cnar'r, LoUIsn Barns. 

